In some countries, the criminal record only contains the actual convictions, meaning these are the crimes that the person has pleaded guilty to or crimes wherein the person was found guilty by a legal court, while there are others wherein the criminal records states more detailed information such as arrests, pending charges, dismissed charges, and charges that the person has been acquitted.
Where to Find Criminal Records by Country
Canada
The Criminal Records Information Management Services in Canada is where one can find the stored records of criminal activity at. Since 1972, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police has been in charge of running this centralized database under the Canadian Police Information Centre. Included in this database are convictions of all sorts such as charges and warrants that remain unresolved, a denounced pardon and all other information which could still be possibly used for ongoing investigations by the police.
Hong Kong
The Hong Kong Police Force is the one in charge of keeping criminal records but compared to other countries, the public cannot be granted access to criminal records even if it's for employment or school reasons. Also, regardless of time or the seriousness of the case, criminal records are not erased but it can be considered 'spent' for reasons such as that it was the first offense, the sentence given was less than 3 months jail time, or if the fine given amounts to less than $10, 000. A criminal record in Hong Kong is also considered spent when at least three years has passed since the guilty verdict was given and there was no new guilty verdict given to the person in question.
United States
Various law enforcement agencies in the US compile and update records for criminals depending on local, state and federal levels. The official national criminal history databases are guarded by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) through the National Crime Information Center (NCIC). If you want to know the criminal history of a person such as outstanding warrants of arrest, property stolen, missing persons and felonies and misdemeanors' arrangements, you will find these stored in the NCIC database.
For possible firearm buyers, the FBI makes use of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) but eligibility still depends on laws of the state.
Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System
Another way to check a person's criminal record is through the IAFIS maintained by the FBI. More than 47 million criminal submissions ranging from civil and arrests submissions and are contained in the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) which is the world's largest biometric database.
Combined DNA Index System
Criminal records can also be searched through the use of the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) which stores DNA profiles of adjudged felons and unidentified crime scene DNA as well.
National Driver Register
NDR is operated by the Department of Transportation and their database can be looked upon for traffic violations especially drivers with suspended licenses.
Secure Flight
Operated by the Transportation Security Administration, Secure Flight checks all US airline passengers and if someone is under a terrorist watch list, they will be flagged.
There are various ways to check for records of criminal activity for various purposes. Every country has their own official criminal records keeper though not all countries allow public access to these records. After all, with so many offenders out there, it never hurts to be on the safe side.
Where to Find Criminal Records by Country
Canada
The Criminal Records Information Management Services in Canada is where one can find the stored records of criminal activity at. Since 1972, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police has been in charge of running this centralized database under the Canadian Police Information Centre. Included in this database are convictions of all sorts such as charges and warrants that remain unresolved, a denounced pardon and all other information which could still be possibly used for ongoing investigations by the police.
Hong Kong
The Hong Kong Police Force is the one in charge of keeping criminal records but compared to other countries, the public cannot be granted access to criminal records even if it's for employment or school reasons. Also, regardless of time or the seriousness of the case, criminal records are not erased but it can be considered 'spent' for reasons such as that it was the first offense, the sentence given was less than 3 months jail time, or if the fine given amounts to less than $10, 000. A criminal record in Hong Kong is also considered spent when at least three years has passed since the guilty verdict was given and there was no new guilty verdict given to the person in question.
United States
Various law enforcement agencies in the US compile and update records for criminals depending on local, state and federal levels. The official national criminal history databases are guarded by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) through the National Crime Information Center (NCIC). If you want to know the criminal history of a person such as outstanding warrants of arrest, property stolen, missing persons and felonies and misdemeanors' arrangements, you will find these stored in the NCIC database.
For possible firearm buyers, the FBI makes use of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) but eligibility still depends on laws of the state.
Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System
Another way to check a person's criminal record is through the IAFIS maintained by the FBI. More than 47 million criminal submissions ranging from civil and arrests submissions and are contained in the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) which is the world's largest biometric database.
Combined DNA Index System
Criminal records can also be searched through the use of the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) which stores DNA profiles of adjudged felons and unidentified crime scene DNA as well.
National Driver Register
NDR is operated by the Department of Transportation and their database can be looked upon for traffic violations especially drivers with suspended licenses.
Secure Flight
Operated by the Transportation Security Administration, Secure Flight checks all US airline passengers and if someone is under a terrorist watch list, they will be flagged.
There are various ways to check for records of criminal activity for various purposes. Every country has their own official criminal records keeper though not all countries allow public access to these records. After all, with so many offenders out there, it never hurts to be on the safe side.
Performing a Public Records Lookup is completely legal as long as you comply with your local state laws. That said, different public records have different laws surrounding them so you'll want to make sure you do plenty of asking around to ensure you're acting within your legal guidelines when searching.
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